City offering grace period for truck rules compliance

By Maria Rosa Higgins Fallon….The City of Coral Gables has prevailed in the legal court case challenging the city’s ordinances restricting the parking of trucks.

The city’s truck ordinances seek to preserve the integrity of residential areas and the unique aesthetic qualities of the city of Coral Gables. The Third District Court of Appeal previously upheld the constitutionality of section 4-411 and 4- 412 of the Coral Gables Zoning Code pertaining to trucks parked in residential and commercial areas.

On May 18, the Florida Supreme Court decided not to review this decision, and the city now will enforce the restrictions following a grace period.

Based on the provisions that have been upheld, the parking of trucks in residential areas is prohibited unless the truck is parked in an enclosed garage. Likewise, the parking of trucks upon the streets or other public places in the city is prohibited between the hours of 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. of the following day.

The city is offering a two-month grace period before intending to enforce these restrictions in order to provide time for individuals owning trucks to come into compliance with the law. Informational notices will be issued until Aug. 8, at which point enforcement will begin with the issuance of warnings and tickets.

A public education campaign is being conducted to inform the public about the recent court rulings and the timeline when tickets will begin to be issued if compliance has not been achieved. Fines are $100 for the first violation, and up to $500 for each subsequent violation.

So here we go with the government telling us what to drive and were to live!!! Werein the US Constitution does it say you can not drive a pickup truck? I thought I lived in the United states of America. When did the City of Coral Gables become its own country, and do you need or should I say do we non Gables people need passports and visas to travel in the city???? So the city wants to restrict what we drive, I wonder how much of the millions of dollars the city is in debt they plunked out to make this ordinance not get reviewed, and should we change the title of mayor to King of Coral Gables??? I know the city can buy all the residents that have trucks new cars so they can drive and also pay them for having to dispose of their trucks. I like this much better, I want a new Bentley GT.